Backgammon: A Game of Kings That Lives on Through the Ages

When it comes to interesting board games or video games that were inspired by traditional games, newer is not necessarily better. In fact, there are a lot of ancient games that we humans have been playing for a long time. And, it’s not just the culture, they are really good and that’s why people play them.

Everyone knows about chess for example, but there are other, older games that you should definitely try out. One of those is Backgammon and this game is slowly growing in popularity once again. If you want to try out something new yet old, give this game a chance.

The origin of Backgammon

Even though a lot of people haven’t heard of Backgammon, this is one of the oldest games ever, along with its brothers, Chess and Go. Historians estimate that the game is around five thousand years old. It is believed that the game originated in ancient Mesopotamia, a country that was once located where Iraq is today.

These discoveries have only recently been confirmed as archeologists found Backgammon dice in an area covered with old bones. However, this game wasn’t always called Backgammon, there were other variations that were played on the same board and when the Romans found out about Backgammon, they made it popular and called it Tables.

Playing it online

Even though Backgammon is an ancient game, it has stuck around for a long time and there are many people across the world playing it. However, in some parts of the world, it can be difficult to find an original Backgammon board. Luckily, Backgammon has also evolved into online versions that you can find and play instantly.

Visit come2play.com, play free Backgammon platforms and compete with other players around the world. As we mentioned earlier, there are parts of the world where very few people play Backgammon. When playing online, you can rest assured that you will always have someone to play against.

Understanding the rules

The game has two players and the board has triangles on each side of the player’s home board. Each of the players has 15 checkers that they can move across points on the board, within the triangles. The goal for each player is to get rid of all the checkers before the opponent. Players roll the dice each turn and move their checkers.

When a player rolls the dice and needs to move onto the other player’s checker, that checker is “hit” and moved to the central bard. Bearing off is done by putting checkers on some of the last six points and when the checkers are placed, he or she would have to roll the number that matches the number of checkers.
Ancient civilizations that played Backgammon

Throughout its long history, Backgammon has been played in many countries, and today there are variations of the game. Some countries called it differently but it was the same game, more or less. It was first played in Mesopotamia and Persia after which it moved to Armenia where it was called Nardi.

Even today, it’s common to see Armenians play it and they have 2 different types of rules for playing. As we mentioned earlier, the eastern Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire later adopted this game as well, calling it Tables. It was also played in Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and in Greece.
The benefits of Backgammon

When you ask anyone that plays Backgammon to tell you something about the game, the first thing they will usually tell you is that the game is very addictive. This is because it’s simply fun to play Backgammon as the game has a lot of depth, meaning that it takes a long time before a player learns all of the strategies and possibilities.

The game helps improve cognitive skills as it requires critical thinking to play it properly and become better at it. There are even some studies showing that Backgammon helps players learn how to deal with stress while potentially also strengthening their immune system.

Conclusion

Backgammon is a very exciting game that you can spend hours playing. If you are a fan of board games and like to challenge your mind, try it out. You won’t regret it.

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